Nickal and Nolf take over top spots for No. 1 Penn State in WIN’s Jan. 25 rankings

NEWTON, Iowa — Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf (pictured above) may only be redshirt freshmen on the Penn State roster but the two young Nittany Lions each scored upset pins in the same dual against the No. 1-ranked wrestler at their respective weights. Nolf and Nickal take over the top spots at 174 and 157 pounds, respectively, in WIN’s Jan. 25 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

Nolf handed 2015 NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez his first college loss with a second-period fall last Saturday, when Nickal also flattened Illinois’ Zach Brunson, in the closing seconds of their match in the dual in Champaign, Ill.

These two victories also expanded Penn State’s lead in this week’s Tournament Power Index (TPI), which is based on where the teams’ individuals are projected — according to WIN’s individual rankings — to finish in this season’s NCAA Championships, March 17-19, in New York City, with Top-8 finishers earning All-American points.

WIN’s TPI point totals are broken down as follows: 1st – 20 (16 AA points + 4 advancement points); 2nd – 16 (12+4); 3rd – 13.5 (10+3.5); 4th – 12.5 (9+3.5); 5th – 10 (7+3); 6th – 9 (6+3); 7th – 6.5 (4+2.5); 8th – 5.5 (3+2.5). Additional points for other rankings include: 9th/12th – 2; 13th/16th – 1.5; 17th-20th – 1. TPI points will be lower than the final actual NCAA tournament points because it does not include bonus points.

The Nittany Lions feature six wrestlers projected to earn All-American honors, including three wrestlers ranked No. 1 at this point in the season. In addition to Nolf and Nickal, 197-pound Morgan McIntosh is also rated No. 1 for coach Cael Sanderson and staff.

Remaining in second place is Oklahoma State, which is projected to see seven Cowboys earn All-American honors in this year’s NCAAs, including two wrestlers — 141-pound Dean Heil and 165-pound Alex Dieringer — ranked No. 1 at their weight class.

In WIN’s dual-team rankings, Penn State (11-0) and Iowa (13-0) remain the top two schools while NC State (17-0) and Oklahoma State (8-2) have moved up to third and fourth. The Wolfpack was scheduled to wrestle ACC-rival North Carolina today, while the Cowboys are coming off a 23-9 victory over No. 5 Missouri, which saw its 37-dual winning streak end in the loss to OSU last weekend.

WIN’S Jan. 25 Tournament Power Index (TPI)

WIN’s Jan. 25 Dual-Team Rankings

WIN’s Jan. 25 Individual Rankings

125 pounds

133 pounds

141 pounds

149 pounds

157 pounds

165 pounds

174 pounds

184 pounds

197 pounds

Heavyweight